It’s a story of asset forfeiture run amok. The motel’s owner is not charged with a crime, yet his property is taken anyway. The government does not need to prove the owner’s guilt to keep his property. Nor is it enough for the owner to prove his innocence. A nice little loophole for the government to circumvent the Bill of Rights in the name of the War on Drugs. Here’s a pretty good link on the background of asset forfeiture.

The real kicker to this story: the local law enforcement agency could receive up to $1 million from the sale of his motel.

As Elaine Benes would say, “Another piece of the puzzle falls into place.”